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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. kid — to tease
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. present — the time now
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. root — of a plant
  8. root — the cause
  9. present — a gift
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. root — of a word
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. kick — in football
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. present — there
  16. deal — to handle
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. scale — in music
  21. scale — size or range
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. kid — child
  24. scale — for weighing

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com